Several brush fires spark on N.J.'s warmest day of the year

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerThick black smoke from a large brush fire in Kearny in this 2008 file photo. Brush fires ignited in Morris County and near the N.J. Turnpike today.

Brush fires ignited throughout the state today — the warmest day of the year.

The state Department of Transportation reported that there was a brush fire on the outer roadway of the northbound New Jersey Turnpike just north of Interchange 13A near Elizabeth. The right lane is currently closed.

"It’s a large brush fire. It’s running along side the Turnpike, all the way over to IKEA," said Capt. John Brown, a spokesman for the Newark Fire Department. "We’ve got a lot of companies out there."

In Morris County, about three acres lit up in between Brooklawn drive and Holly Drive in Parsippany, according to Parsippany Police Chief Anthony DeZenzo. Police are advising motorists to avoid the area of Tabor Road and Brooklawn Drive.